Eating
tomatoes and broccoli together is more effective in fighting prostate
cancer than eating either one alone, a new study has shown. The
study, conducted at the University of Illinois, involved feeding
rats a diet containing broccoli and tomato powders. Researchers
believe that each vegetable works on a different anticancer pathway,
so when eaten together, there is an additive effect. The study's
co-author recommends that men with slow-growing prostate cancer,
who are not receiving radiation or chemotherapy, eat approximately
a cup and a half of broccoli and a cup of tomato sauce or a half
cup of tomato paste a day.
Adding
milk to tea blocks the tea's health benefits, new studies show.
Researchers found that drinking black tea relaxed blood vessels,
but that when milk was added, the tea no longer had that beneficial
effect. The problem is caused by a protein in the milk that interacts
with the tea, causing a decrease in the concentration of flavanoids,
the substances in tea that make it good for heart health. Adding
milk also destroys tea's antioxidant effects, and perhaps its
anticancer effects as well. Therefore, researchers recommend that
you don't add milk or cream to your tea. Lemon is okay though.
People
over 50 who take SSRI antidepressants may have double the risk of
bone fractures, according to a study from McGill University in Montreal,
where 5,000 people were studied over a five-year period. SSRI, short
for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is a type of commonly-prescribed
antidepressant which includes Prozac and Zoloft. People taking SSRIs
were found to have double the risk of falling and to have 4% lower
bone density in their hips and 2.4% lower density in their spines.
Scientists stress that the significant benefits of antidepressants
must be balanced against the low risk, and that more studies are
needed.
Drinking
alcohol may protect against arthritis, according to a study done
in Gothenburg University in Sweden. The study was done on mice.
Mice who drank a water solution containing 10% alcohol were slower
to develop rheumatoid arthritis and their symptoms were less severe.
The researchers think that the reason this worked is because drinking
alcohol may increase testosterone, which in turn suppresses the
proteins that cause inflammation. The researchers said they couldn't
tell how much alcohol a person might have to drink to get the same
protective effect. Also, there is some question about whether or
not this would work in humans at all.
Eating
fiber cuts the risk of getting breast cancer in half for pre-menopausal
women, according to a study done at the University of Leeds in England.
The study involved monitoring the eating habits of 35,000 women
over a seven-year period. Researchers found that pre-menopausal
women who ate 30 grams of fiber a day had half the breast cancer
risk of those eating less than 20 grams. However, there was no similar
protective effect for post-menopausal women. The average person
in the United Kingdom eats only 12 grams of fiber a day, and would
have to nearly triple their daily intake to reach 30 grams.
